Page:The Cutter's Practical Guide Part 13.djvu/7

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 * Colonel: Crown and two stars below.
 * Lieutenant-Colonel: Crown and one star below.
 * Major: Crown.
 * Captain: Three stars.
 * Lieutenant: Two stars.
 * Second Lieutenant: One star.

The official regulations respecting these badges of rank are as follows:—

Badges of rank, except when otherwise ordered, will be worn on all shoulder cords and shoulder straps. They will be in silver embroidery on gold shoulder cords, and gold-laced shoulder straps, and gilt or gilding metal on plain cloth shoulder straps. In Rifle Regiments they will he in bronze. The crossed sword is 2 inches full and the baton ⅛ inch shorter. The crowns when laid on shoulder cords or straps are 1 inch broad and ⅞ inch in height; the stars are 1 inch between opposite points.

The batons forming part of the Field-Marshal's badges will be in embroidery and crimson velvet.

General Officers badges are worn in pairs, point of sword to the front and edge of blade outwards or towards the arm.

Regimental Officers having Brevet Rank wear the badges of their army rank; Departmental Officer having honorary rank, the badges of that rank; and Departmental Officers not having honorary rank, the badges of the combatant grade with which they rank.

Although this book only deals with the uniform worn by Commissioned Officers, yet we have thought it well to give some illustrations of the rank badges used to distinguish the Non-Commissioned Officers, thinking they may prove of service to our readers.

The badge ranks for

are arranged in the following order:—Sergeant-Major, Troop Sergeant-Major, Quarter-Master-Sergeant, Sergeant, Corporal, Farrier-Sergeant, Corporal-Farrier, Trumpet-Major, Trumpeter, Rough Rider. Most of these badge marks are worked in gold lace or thread, with here and there a touch of red, as, for instance, in the horseshoe for the Farrier. The holes are in red, and as nearly all Cavalry tunics are made from blue cloth, this helps to show up the design.

The Engineers, on the other hand, generally wear red tunics, and here again, the badge ranks are worked with gold lace or braid, but in the case of the Bugle-Major, where flags form a part of the ornament, a little blue is inserted. The badge ranks for the Engineers are arranged in the following order: Sergeant-Major, Troop Sergeant-Major, Sergeant, Quarter-Master Sergeant, Corporal, Lance-Corporal, Bugle-Major, Farrier-Major, Sergeant-Wheeler, Wheeler, Corps of Ordnance Artificers, Shooting Prize.

Infantry tunics are generally made from red cloth, and for the most part they have the badges worked in gold lace or thread; there are some few badge marks, however, which are made of white, such as the Corporal and Lance-Corporal, Bandsman, and Pioneer, the rest are worked in gold. As placed on this Plate, they are arranged in the following order: Sergeant-Major, Colour-Sergeant, Quarter-Master Sergeant, Musketry-Instructor, Sergeant, Corporal, Lance-Corporal, Band-Sergeant, Bondsman, Sergeant-Pioneer, Pioneer, and Drum-Major.

In the case of the badge for the Colour-Sergeant, where the flag forms the leading part of the design, blue is worked in as well as red, so as to produce the Union Jack.

Artillery badges are for the most part worked with gold lace on blue, and are arranged in the following order:—Master Gunner (1st class), Master Gunner (2nd class), Master Gunner (3rd class), Battery Sergeant-Major, Quarter-Master-Sergeant, Sergeant, Corporal, Bombardier, Rough Rider, and Farrier. We have illustrated one or two badges of a general character. For instance, we have given a series of good conduct badges; that for the non-commissioned officer is of gold lace on blue cloth, that for the Private in the Cavalry, Artillery, and Engineers of yellow braid on blue cloth, that for the Private in the Infantry white braid on red cloth, whilst the badge for the Army Hospital Corps is a cross of red cloth on a white ground and placed on blue cloth.

Those badges indicated by wavy lines are made of gold lace, and those which are left plain are for the most part made from braid or worsted, the exception being Corporal and Lance-Corporal of the Engineers and Corporal and Bombardier of the Artillery, which are of gold. All the ornaments are worked in gold except that for Infantry Pioneer, which is of worsted.

Whilst writing of these it may be well to refer to the Aiguilette. The Staff Aiguilette is worn by those officers only who are serving on the Headquarter, General, and Personal Staff, and only by them when performing Staff duties. The following are the official regulations:—